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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23143744">In This Skin</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagpieMorality/pseuds/MagpieMorality'>MagpieMorality</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Writepie Prompt Fills [66]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cuddles, Fluff, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Rat Remus, Shapeshifting, Snake Deceit, cat virgil</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 05:08:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,021</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23143744</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagpieMorality/pseuds/MagpieMorality</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
      <p>From this prompt:</p><p>Virgil likes shapeshifting into a cat, Deceit likes shapesfting into a snake, and Remus likes shapeshifting into a rat. The three dark boys usually take the opportunity to spend time in the light side when shapeshifted. The light sides speaking to the shapeshifted boys thinking their animals from the Imagination, saying typical pet-owner things. (if you can turn this into shippy fluff then please do-)</p>
    </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>DR LAMP (Platonic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Writepie Prompt Fills [66]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1638634</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>206</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>In This Skin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>From this prompt:</p><p>Virgil likes shapeshifting into a cat, Deceit likes shapesfting into a snake, and Remus likes shapeshifting into a rat. The three dark boys usually take the opportunity to spend time in the light side when shapeshifted. The light sides speaking to the shapeshifted boys thinking their animals from the Imagination, saying typical pet-owner things. (if you can turn this into shippy fluff then please do-)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first time one of them does it it's Virgil, running away from Remus after some mischief and looking for a safe place to hide. He figures he's safer on four paws, small and out of the way, and Remus would never think to check the Upstairs, so he darts through the doorway and finds a nice warm closet to burrow into and have a very restful nap.</p><p> </p><p>It's only restful until Patton finds him, of course, and goes starry-eyed with joy. Virgil misses that part, by virtue of being asleep at the time, which probably helps because he starts to purr when Patton first cautiously pets him rather than panicking and running away.</p><p> </p><p>He comes to awareness slowly, warm and comfortable and content, and oddly soothed by the big hand over his fur. He nearly does panic then, flinching away in surprise, but Patton pulls back to give him space quickly, cooing that he's delighted the little creature is there, and would he mind if he held him?</p><p> </p><p>Virgil remembers in time that he shouldn't reply, because Patton probably thinks he's one of the daydreams that occasionally escape the saturated and magical world Roman lives in. Instead he chirps softly, and headbutts Patton's hand when it comes close again, playing up the part. And it works, because Patton coos and picks him up and ends up taking him downstairs to feed him some tuna.</p><p> </p><p>(Which is delicious when your taste-buds are a cat's, and when you mostly just eat the weird imaginary food your darkly creative housemate conjures up.)</p><p> </p><p>He stays for a bit longer and then runs off, much to Patton's dismay, escaping until the coast is clear and he can sneak back Downstairs.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Three times he goes back for more of the same addictive treatment. Three times before Deceit picks up on the lie at the dinner table about where Virgil's been disappearing to, and then Remus gets the truth out of him.</p><p> </p><p>"We could go to!" Remus cries immediately, but Deceit warns him against that dangerous hope.</p><p> </p><p>"We're not cuddly cats, Remus, unless you've changed something recently you'd like to tell us about."</p><p> </p><p>Remus shrugs, leaning back too far in his chair and somehow managing to balance anyway. "I don't see why we shouldn't try. At worst it gives the bosses Upstairs a hell of a fright. That's still fun!"</p><p> </p><p>Deceit shakes his head. "I said no. That's final. Virgil- you're not to go anymore, you hear me? We stay. Down. Here."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>So when Remus first accompanies Virgil upstairs the next morning they're found by Patton as usual. He falters a bit at seeing the large rat that's- for some strange reason- riding the cat around until it slips off and they both wait hopefully in the kitchen for food. Remus eats so quickly it makes Patton chuckle, but he runs away when hands come down towards him, exploring the part of their home he only has the faintest memories of these days.</p><p> </p><p>When he gets back to the living room Virgil is napping on Patton's lap and Roman is cooing over him, extolling the various virtues of cats in general. They're the most noble species, he says, proud and wise and intelligent. You really have to earn their love.</p><p> </p><p>He jumps when Remus starts sniffing at his foot, going still in fright at the sight of the new arrival.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't think it'll hurt you," Patton says, reaching down slowly and letting the rat climb into his hand to bring him up onto the couch. Remus starts running around, climbing up the cushions to sniff at Patton's hair and squeezing into a hoodie arm on his chest. It makes Patton laugh, which disturbs a grumpy Virgil, who migrates quickly to the back of the couch by Roman's head where it's still.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Deceit is furious when they get back. He dresses them down thoroughly until Remus has wilted nearly down to the floor and Virgil is close to tears, and then he gives them both a tight hug and roughly refuses to say how scared he was when he noticed they were missing.</p><p> </p><p>There's something else there to examine, but the other two are too grateful that their self-appointed leader isn't actually mad, that they just all curl up together in front of the TV for a well-earned rest.</p><p> </p><p>And if Deceit whispers, in the dark while the TV murmurs in the background, that he's also scared that the Upstairs boys will never take to a snake slithering around, not when Thomas has declared them slimy and gross; well the hugs might so happen to get a little tighter. Or perhaps a lot.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>They experiment with Logan first, aware of his more neutral feelings on animals in general and the overall lack of inbuilt stereotypical biases that weren't based in actual scientific fact. And given that Thomas knew full well that snakes weren't actually slimy and cold and evil, Logan would no doubt be the best candidate for serpentine companionship.</p><p> </p><p>It goes… shockingly well. Logan blinks at the snake curled under his pillow and carefully lifts it out as it stares back at him calmly. He doesn't say anything, unaware of the two other pairs of eyes watching the scene closely, but actually cracks a small smile when the little corn snake cautiously curls around his wrist and lays the top half of it's body along his forearm, warmer than expected but colder than it should've been.</p><p> </p><p>"Let's get you warmed up, little fellow," Logan whispers to Deceit, detouring away from his desk to move over to the pile of cushions near the radiator, pulling a soft blanket over himself and selecting a book to read. "It's the best choice of course," he explains, still in that soft, calm tone, seemingly enjoying the comfortable chatter. "You won't be shaken around so much and we can both take a break. Then I'll send you back to Ro- no, probably Remus. Or perhaps Deceit. I'll take you downstairs later, in any case."</p><p> </p><p>The cat and rat slope off quietly, thoroughly reassured, their routine safe to continue on and on. </p>
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